Impact of concomitant cardiovascular diseases on functional status and quality of life of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases

Introduction: Because of similar risk factors, concomitant cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are common among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). Strong scientific evidences; show that this association CVD/COPD leads to an increase of the mortality, however its impact in the quality of life is still not well understood. We aimed in this study to evaluate how CVD affect the respiratory function and the quality of life in patients with COPD. Methods: Our study is a cross-sectional study comparative conducted over 6 months, including patients whose diagnosis of COPD was confirmed according to GOLD guidelines. We analysed demographic (age, BMI), lung function (FEV1%), modified medical research council (MMRC) dyspnea scale, COPD asseassement test (CAT) and exacerbations/ year (ex/y) in 2 groups of patients with stable COPD : G1 : without CVD ; G2 : with CVD Results: The mean age (years old) of the 2 groups (G1 : 21 vs G2 : 19) was respectively 64.2 ± 5,9 vs G2 : 66.2 ± 5.4. No significant difference has been seen between G1 and G2 when compared the BMI and the consumption of tobacco. Patients with CVD (G2) had a higher CAT score (G1 : 18.2 ± 6 vs G2 : 23.8 ± 3.7 ; P=0.001) and presented more exacerbations in the last year (G1 : 1.1 ± 0.9 vs G2 : 2.2 ± 0.6 ; P<0.0001) than the G1. Respiratory function was worsening in the G2 with a lower FEV1% (G1: 52.4 ± 25.2 vs G2: 42.3 ± 13.4; P= 0.1). The mean MMRC in the G1 and G2 was respectively: 2 ± 1 and 2.6 ± 0.7 ;(P=0.032 ) Conclusion: To conclude, the coexistence of COPD and CVD is associated with worse outcomes and more altered quality of life than COPD alone.